


Ethereal Rhapsody

by blackngold



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Inspired by Coyote Ugly, It feels grungy and angsty but is also soppy at times, Slow Burn, Tagging as I go, because I don't want to give away too much yet, my feminist ass waited so long for this, no beta we die like women, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:34:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22591087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackngold/pseuds/blackngold
Summary: Sakura Haruno is a slayer. No, she is *the* slayer. She is also a fighter and a survivor and even though she doesn't know who is friend and who is enemy she will keep surviving in this doomed city and protecting mankind from demons or worse.Oh and there is also med school to ace and bills to pay so yeah.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15





	Ethereal Rhapsody

**Author's Note:**

> I promised myself to not get soppy over here but you have no idea what this whole thing means to me. I haven't written a single word in little over ten fucking years but not only am I in a better place right now I also felt you guys inspired me so so so much. This community did so much more for me than you will ever know even though I'm technically not even part of it since I'm only here for such a short amount of time. 
> 
> Anyway special thanks to Alien_Writes, KellersMcKellerton, dryadis, mummapaintstheblues and many more for inspiring me so indescribably much with your AUs. 
> 
> Also I’ve never written in anything else than my mother tongue before and English is like my third language and I struggle so much with tenses and idioms. English class didn't prepare me for this lol. I really hope it‘s not too chaotic.
> 
> Also also I created a full Spotify playlist with the same name in case anyone is interested but at least I like listening to atmospheric music while reading very much and think the playlist sets the mood for this piece quite well.
> 
> ______
> 
> Naruto and its characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. The quoted songs and lyrics are property of the mentioned artists. I own nothing but this silly combination of ideas.

_What are we gonna do? We’ve opened the door, now it’s all coming through.  
Tell me you see it too. We’ve opened our eyes and it’s changing the view._

**Florence + the Machine: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful**

As I was laying on my back on the centuries-old cobblestone floor I saw dust dancing around my head and my whole life up until this point flashing before my eyes. When the air had returned to my lungs I sighed deeply. How had it come to this? What had this small girl with the big forehead I was seeing clearly before my mind’s eye done to deserve this? The answer was short: nothing. Neither did I do anything to deserve this nor did I ask to become mankind’s last hope and guardian. Yet here I was not only pitying myself but also my definitely sprained ankle.

“Get up, brat”

I huffed and reached for the hand that was extended to me.

“Listen, I don’t want to hurt or worse embarrass you. You know as well as I do that the basics are crucial for you to survive. We can train the fancy and advanced techniques all we want but if you neglect working on your foundation they will be of no use at the end of the day.”

“I know” I said followed by another deep sigh as I let myself be helped on to my feet. “I’m sorry” and I meant it. I was angry at myself for even providing that opening on my left shoulder in the first place. I looked around the spacious yet fusty basement vault and all the cramped bookshelves that reached up to an impressive arched ceiling before my gaze flickered back to the dark amber eyes in front of me that studied me apprehensively.

“How is the kick boxing training going by the way?”

“It’s not going at all actually. I put of my last sparring partner as well. She was the third this month and now I kind of ran out of people to ask...”

Now it was her turn to sigh. But she didn’t let this opportunity slip to also roll her eyes.

“I know it’s hard to be suspiciously good at so many things at once but again this is not for your personal vain or just a hobby to pass your spare time so please promise me to show up at the gym even without a partner and keep up your routine okay?”

“Yes. I will.” The renewed resolve in my voice made her honey coloured eyes soften at me.

“Alright. Let’s do it again and this time, make sure to go for my weak spots. I didn’t teach you to hold back. Ready?”

“Born ready”

That was it. No countdown, no alert, nothing, as we darted at each other. We were too fast to really focus our eyes on anything. All I could make out was a flash of sandy blonde hair as I directed a punch to her neck but was blocked from her left forearm. She lunged out her left to bring her heavy left haymaker onto my jaw but I managed to sweep her leg off the ground before she could break my teeth. It wasn’t enough to take her down though. She quickly bounced back and regained her footing but I was faster as I managed to land a blow to her midsection. She swung her right leg towards my hips and destabilised me as well as I was feeling the adrenaline kicking in.

This was what I was living for. Nothing made me feel more alive than these short moments between life and death. When there is no time for thoughts or ideas, just the primal urge to function as a well-oiled machine in order to survive. Sure, she was no real enemy with the intention to kill me but she never went easy on me either. I still got phantom pain from the one time I landed in a hospital because of her. It was the first and last time though.

As our fight went on for minutes that felt like aeons I tried to not let the burning pain from my sprained ankle get to me. I blocked her next series of blows as well as I could while favouring my right leg. Of course she noticed and brought her foot down to smash it into my ankle but before my brain could register the flaring agony I took advantage of the opening. In a vortex of pink strands in my field of vision I gripped her shirt and entangled my foot behind her leg once more to slam her down for good.

“Very nice” she said, not breathless in the slightest. But what else did you expect from a former slayer. I took a look at my battered foot before I offered her a hand that grabbed hers this time. “Though you let your left for an instant unprotected again. Make sure to work on that before it evolves into a permanent weak spot.”

“Yes, shishou” I noted while trying to put weight on to my foot. It was of no use. Luckily it wasn’t broken though. Tsunade was holding her rip cage but was with me in an instant inspecting my ankle. “Make sure to cool it once you’re home.”

“Three years of medical school but you just can’t help it, can you?”

“Listen, brat” the worried aura after seeing me injured vanished completely as she fell back into her usual tough shell demeanour: “I don’t know what you learn in med school these days but it’s obviously not traditional medicine because all you smart-arses care about are surgeries.”

“Yeah well that’s because I want to become a surgeon.”

“See this is your problem! Once again you’re neglecting the basics for the fancy shit.“

“I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t serious.” I said with a quiet giggle escaping my throat. She visibly softened at the sound and crossed the room to grab our water bottles. She handed me mine and after the both of us greedily took big gulps she wiped her mouth with the backside of her hand and asked “So how is university going right now anyway? You don’t tell me as much anymore.”

“Yeah, I feel like there isn’t that much to tell. The new semester just started and I’ve yet to figure out where all my lectures are at. I’m looking forward to my new classes but to be quite frank my most nagging problem at the moment is that I desperately need money. I didn’t tell you but my boss at the café bounced me last week.”

“The bastard did what...!”

“Please. Leave it, Shishou. You already do too much for me. Besides, I know he had to. Do you remember the demon in the library? I had the back shift that day and couldn’t close the shop when the call came in. I had to leave the shop as soon as possible and only managed to lock it up. But of course he found out the next day that I left the money in the till. I understand that this was a violation he can’t look over. It’s just hard to juggle all these responsibilities with my night time job.” There it was. Another sigh.

“I know, kiddo” she said while she wrapped one arm around my shoulders. “But you are doing amazing. You do so much better than I when I was your age and the _one_ slayer. And you had the bad luck to become it at such a young age. I was already done with university by that time. Don’t push yourself too much okay? Do you promise me that?”

“I try at least” I said not completely convinced as I sought comfort in her soothing embrace. Truth was being the slayer leaves you rather lonely. “I still need a new job though.”

“I wish I could say everything will be okay and truly mean it but we both know that this is not the case for both professions we chose for ourselves. Neither medicine nor killing demons provides one with fair chances to begin with but the fact that you made it to see 25 while being the slayer for little over eight years leaves me positive that you will at least land a new part time job as well.” She couldn’t help the joking tone in her usually so boisterous voice at that last sentence. “Oh and a pro tip while we’re at it: try not to punch anyone.”

“That’s so rich coming from you” I snorted into her embrace.

She released me with a glint of knowing mischief in her amber eyes and straightened when facing me once again. “Okay. Last round for tonight. You ready?”

“Ready when you are.”

* * *

After our last dance of swinging fists and lunging legs I waved my mentor goodbye, slipped my backpack over my shoulder and on to the moonlit streets of Temple. I turned left at St. Clement Danes’ Church and continued my way with a limp from my still protesting ankle underneath the orange shine of the streetlights that illuminated the gallant facades of lordly victorian buildings as my route eventually led me on to the riverside of Victoria Embankment. Spotify was kind enough to start playing London Thunder by Foals and I instantly relaxed and released the breath I didn’t notice I was holding. I looked over the River Thames that glistened with the myriads of lights of a metropolis that is never really fast asleep no matter how tranquilly it may look like in moments like this.

The Northern Line took me well… up north. I couldn’t hold myself up any longer and crashed onto one of the few empty seats, sighing like I would expect it from a much older woman.

“Muuuuum? Why does the pink-haired woman pant like a hippo?”

“Because she had a very long day. Just wait until you’re my age!” I answered the little girl in the seat left of me while her mother hushed her quiet. Great. Now I even talked like a much older woman too.

The train reached my stop far too soon and once again I asked myself why on earth the tube was built that deep beneath ground level. I mean two flight of stairs would have been enough if you’d asked me.

Slowly I was making my way through the labyrinth that were the streets across Regent’s Park. There it was. Albany Street, home sweet home. I lost count over how often I asked Tsunade if it really was okay to stay in a flat in one of her houses. Surely, I would’ve never been able to afford living in the city on my own. Let alone in the very center. But no matter how often I brought up my guilty conscience her reaction was stoic as ever and she said my biggest reimbursement was to stay alive.

And staying alive was something I planned on doing for a very long time. My first step was to find a new training partner, the second one would be a new job. Some would probably argue that the ability to fill your fridge might be more important in order to survive a little longer but let me tell you – as someone who is too close to death by an eyelash every other night being on one’s toes at all times is the highest priority of them all. The little energy I had left in me was just enough to not fall asleep while standing upright in my bathroom rinsing off the sad remains of today‘s make-up. My mind trailed off. Was there a subreddit for boxing aficionados in London? There must be I mused while I remembered the countless silly and completely random subreds I have came across so far. Okay, but maybe I should also try to find someone the old fashioned way.

This was why I found myself facing the boxing studio once again the next morning. The night had been short but calming enough for my ankle at least. Very well then. A few minutes later I was wrecking one of the punching bags as a casual warm-up. As expected the studio was pleasantly empty during the morning hours. I spotted a few regulars on the treadmills, squeezing their daily workouts into their tightly scheduled workday. That was what I liked about sports: it functions as a leveller. Nobody in here cared whether you are an oh so important broker during your 9to5 hours in the city or an overpaied lawyer who saves some criminal’s butt in court wearing a tailored £5.000 suit. What mattered in here was whether you clean your machines after using them or how fairly you treat your opponent when you decide to step into the ring. The september air blew a warm breeze through the open windows and cooled down my sweaty skin. I couldn’t help but smile. Small moments like this never ceased to amaze me.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

I blinked as those spoken words dragged me back to reality. My eyes shot left where I suddenly found a man observing me with attentive eyes. Strange. I could have sworn he wasn’t here a few seconds ago.

“Do I know you?”

“Not yet, hopefully soon though”

I rolled my eyes at that.

“Wow. Smooth. Does this actually work?”

“You’d be surprised. But I wasn’t hitting on you, thank you very much.”

“Oh you weren’t? How am I supposed to know?”

“Believe me, you _would_ know.”

Oh please. One of those guys, hm? I thought to myself, gaze back on the windows.

“Tempting” I said sarcastically.

“Yeah well I’m only here keeping up this very charming exchange because I noticed you’re training alone today. What happened? Did you scare off yet another partner?”

He had my attention back at that.

“You’re observing me?” It wasn’t much of a question, more an accusation to be honest.

“It’s kinda hard to miss the only pink-haired woman in this studio who is showing up almost every day and won’t leave until she has a few more bruises added to her collection you know.”

“Care to maybe just introduce yourself since you apparently know so much about me already?”

He shot me a flashing smile of pearly whites at that and extended his gloved hand to me. My equally gloved hand bumped into it as our boxing gloves made a muffled sound.

“Genma Shiranui.”

“Sakura Haruno.”

“Pleasure!" He smiled again, only to fall into a professional tone next as if he was closing a deal:" So, Sakura, I’ve trained in this studio for almost five years now but never did I see the vice champion of town flee the ring as quickly as after your last fight.”

I sheepishly clacked my tongue at that. “Yeah… I also have the nagging feeling that she’s not planning to come back anytime soon since I’m pretty sure she’s ghosting me.” He laughed a hearty laugh and I found myself smiling too. “So..” I continued “since you said you’re not hitting on me I take this as an application then?”

His smile only got wider and he arched an eyebrow while his brown eyes studied me amusedly.

“Seems you’re not only quick with your fists. I like that. Yes, it’s an offer. If you go easy on me that is.”

I laughed in return. Only now I allowed myself to study him as well. He was playing it cool but the way he stood and the fact that he approached me after obviously seeing what I was capable of told me that he was confident enough in his abilities. While that sure wasn’t anything special when it came to men – how often did they underestimate me after all – I had the feeling that he wasn’t fucking around. Oddly enough he was wearing a longsleeved shirt, a screaming contrast to all other guys in here who tend to go for widely cut-out muscle shirts to show off what they worked so determined for. He didn‘t seem like the pretentious type. From what I could make out despite his kind of baggy attire I took him for a practical guy. He seemed well-toned but not as pumped as the dudebros who lifted heavily for the aesthetics of a tree trunk biceps.

„Made up your mind?“ he asked as he caught me thoughtfully mustering his shirt. I was surprised that he didn’t go for the lame „like what you see?“ phrase all guys his age seem to come up with in situations like this. So he truly meant it after all?

„Yes. Would love it. I desperately need a new sparring partner actually.“ He nodded chipperly and didn’t wait for me when he walked past by me with long strides.

„Well? You coming?“ he said, holding up the ropes of the ring for me while he was already standing inside. „I‘d like to know what I‘m getting myself into you know.“

I reached up and tightened up my hair tie before following him into the ring.

A few fractions of a moment into the fight and I could already sense that my first impression was correct. He was not only in extraordinary shape but also skilled in martial arts. I could tell that he was still holding back though. He wanted to see what I was made of before he engaged me in a fight, that was why he was rather evading my attacks than blocking them. He was a fighter and didn’t even break a sweat as I was bringing hell down on him. But suddenly he changed strategies and started to actually come for me. Soon enough I found myself in a defensive stand ducking away from his blows and hooks until his knee shot up. Instinctively I turned away and grabbed his neckline as I was bringing him down.

It was over. I looked down where he lied between my legs. I was pinning him down but he had a hand around my throat. I blinked. Then I looked around to process the situation and found the room completely quiet with all eyes resting on us.

Genma smirked and used my distraction at the sudden silence to yank me away from him so he could get up. “Now that was exactly what I expected from you” he deadpanned completely unbothered.

“Why so disappointed then?”

“Because you’re already at a disadvantage when you’re predictable.”

That... that was surprisingly sharp analysed and also very true I thought gobsmacked.

“Hey stop sulking and get your arse up. If you want to compete in the national boxing league you need to work on that. And on your left side defense while you’re at it. You tend to leave your left unprotected.” Ugh. That again. Tsunade said the same thing. But wait. Boxing league? What? I must have looked exactly as clueless as I felt because he added “I assumed that was your goal. Why else should you train that unforgivingly?” Fuck. Yeah, why else should I?

“Yeah… you’re right of course. I think I’d like to apply sometime.”

“You have great potential. Seriously though, work on that left side of yours.”

“Okay but why do you sound like my coach? I thought you only wanted to be my sparring partner. What’s in it for you?”

“Oh nothing. I just don’t want to rust” he smiled suavely while his eyes met mine. _Ohhh_. Now that was interesting. Seems like we’re both hiding something then. I concealed my suspicion with a smile that I hoped came across as natural and chipper. “Oh please, you’re not that old.”

“If only you knew. I’m quite some time ahead of you.”

“Duly noted. I’ll bring haemorrhoids ointment next time then.” At that he graced me with a bright laugh that reached his eyes again. “Great, so that means we will train together after all?”

“It would be my pleasure” I said and truly meant it. I hadn’t figured this guy out yet but he clearly knew what he was doing and could help me getting better. Tsunade will be pleased to hear that I found a new sparring partner that quickly.

We agreed on two training sessions a week to see how it would go and then waved each other goodbye at the door to the ladies’ showers. As I piled up my shampooed hair on my head and moved on to shaving my legs, I couldn’t help but hum contentedly. This must have been the most productive Tuesday morning in a long time actually.

I didn’t have the time to blow-dry my hair before my lectures would start so I simply tied it back into the messiest bun in my personal messy bun history and darted out the door and down the stairs out onto the street.

A car just rushed past me and left leaves and small pieces of paper whirling up into the air in a swirling dance of colours. My eyes followed a black card that landed directly in front of my feet. It was wrinkled and soaked from laying in a puddle but the written letters on it still caught my attention somehow. HYENA TONGUE it said in neon red letters. There was no address though, the only other word on the card said Camden.

Well. Now I was weirdly intrigued. It was obviously some kind of night club but apparently so exclusive that it didn’t really need advertising. Seemed to be some buzz marketing thing then. As I was directing my steps towards the tube station so I could make it to my bio chemistry class in time I mused whether they would maybe hire people there at that mysterious Hyena Tongue?

**Author's Note:**

> Phew I'm so nervous to post this. If you find mistakes I seem to make systematically I‘d appreciate a lot if you wouldn‘t be too polite to tell me. I‘m posting this in order to hopefully improve in the future so every kind of feedback would be much appreciated!


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